


Where the Boys Aren't

by dapatty



Category: Castle, Life
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Mild Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-02-26
Updated: 2010-02-26
Packaged: 2017-10-26 20:14:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/287399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dapatty/pseuds/dapatty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes a girl just needs a friendly ear to talk to about the crazy that is her partner.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Where the Boys Aren't

**Author's Note:**

> 868 word ficlet. Written for [](http://autographedcat.livejournal.com/profile)[**autographedcat**](http://autographedcat.livejournal.com/) who thought it'd be neat if the two girls got together to complain about Crews and Castle and I was inclined to agree.

Maybe it was fate that Dani Reece ended up in that bar since she doesn’t even go into bars anymore if she can help it. Of course, this particular establishment did have the best coffee, which made it a natural watering hole for LA detectives. Apparently, out of town detectives looking to duck in out of the sun found it to be quite perfect too. Kate Beckett was already perched on a bar stool just inhaling the aroma of the mug in front of her when Dani entered to escape her partner.

Of course, Reece’s partner, Charlie Crews, had followed her in. But after much glaring on Reece’s part, he went to the bookstore next door.

Beckett had looked at her with a Cheshire grin and said, “At least yours is an actual detective.”

After some explaining—Beckett’s partner, of sorts, was a famous crime novelist—and an hour later, the girls found that talking to a friendly, understanding ear about their respectable other halves at work was kind of great.

“Does yours just not seem to have any concept of social faux pas? Like he’ll say the most inappropriate thing in a stage whisper?” Beckett asked, tucking a few stray red hairs behind her ear. “And most of the time it’s a pun.”

Reece thanked any higher power that existed that she doesn’t have an author shaped shadow with a sense of irony.

“Oh, not even a whisper. And sometimes he won’t even finish the sentence. He’ll just wander off.” Dani agreed, taking a sip out of her mug. “I mainly get to hear Zen mutterings about the nature of the universe.”

“What’s the worst one?” Becket asked.

“’You don’t have to understand here to be here.’ Then, he talked with a physicist who told him that nothing is really here. So the car ride back to the station had him naming things out the window and declaring them not there,” Dani answered remembering. “What about you?”

“’Someone must have really hated his guts.’ At the time we were looking at a drug mule that had been eviscerated in an alley,” Becket explained.

Dani grimaced a laugh. “Nice.”

“I’m sure it could be worse,” Beckett mused.

“Yeah, he could randomly smell like horse and tell you not to ask,” Reece quirked a smile.

“True,” Beckett said then shivered, “It’s probably only a matter of time. And it will somehow have something to do with his mother.”

“Well, mine shot his father,” Reece said.

“How’d that happen?”Beckett gaped.

“Thought he was an intruder and the guy was just leaving a wedding invitation.” Dani shrugged.

“Ouch,” Becket winced.

“Maybe it’s a redhead thing. Is Castle a ginger?” Reece asked.

“No, it’s kind of a light brown,” Beckett shrugged. “He just kind of exists in this inexplicable bubble of charm.”

“Yeah,” Reece nodded. “In a way that causes complete strangers to either smile or scream.”

“And if that fails, there’s always flirting,” Beckett agreed.

“Sometimes without even realizing it,” Reece added.

“Until someone smacks him,” Beckett recalls with a grin.

“Then he just gets this confused look and asks ‘what?’ Like he couldn’t possibly understand,” Reece was smiling now.

“But he does,” Beckett said sagely, motioning for more coffee.

“Yep,” Reece took a sip. “Then he’ll give this grin—.”

“Cheeky, canary eating,” Beckett suggested.

Reece nodded then added, “Boyish.”

The two shared a private smile.

Naturally, the devils the girls were speaking of would choose that moment to walk in.

“It’s like living in the future,” Charlie said, marveling just a little.

“It’s just Twitter,” Castle insisted. Who knows where that conversation even started? Reece and Becket shared a look as the two men stopped to stand beside them.

“Hello there,” Castle said, alluring voice and with an eyebrow waggle at Reece.

“Did you just do an eyebrow thing at me?” Reece asked, schooling her face to perhaps prepare for battle.

“Eyebrows bad?” Castle asked Crews and Beckett.

Beckett looked at him like she would be glad to watch him squirm as usual.

“Eyebrows bad,” Crews confirmed with a solemn nod then shifted back to excited. “Reece guess who I met?”

“A smarmy crime novelist?” Reece asked then tipped her head at the guilty eyebrow waggler. “Hi Castle.”

Crews grinned. “Yep,” he answered while Castle protested with, “Hey!”

Charlie turned to Beckett and smiled. “Charlie Crews,” he introduced offering a hand.

“Kate Beckett,” she shook. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Good things?” Crews asked.

Beckett smiled then looked at Dani. “Reece, it was good to meet you. Call me anytime.”

“Same to you,” Dani smiled back as Beckett left money for the coffees.

Beckett started out, but Castle was still standing beside Dani and looked like he wanted to flirt more. Beckett came back over and grabbed his ear. She drug him out with him chanting, “Apple,” all the way out the door.

Charlie sat down next to her at the bar smiling. “I like ‘em,” he declared.

“Yeah,” Reece said, and then she gave a grin with a touch of evil.

“You will not do that ear thing,” Charlie said, putting his foot down.

Reece chose that moment to walk out, grinning at Charlie called after her.


End file.
